WEYMOUTH’S Fern Grimshaw achieved history when she became the first woman to claim the West Region PGA Assistants Championship – she is also the first woman to win an assistants title anywhere in Britain.

“It was by far my best win as a professional – better than when I won the Women’s PGA order of merit last year,” said the 25-year-old from the Wessex Golf Centre.

It was her second success within a week after hearing she has passed the final stage of the PGA’s three-year foundation degree in golf studies and is now fully qualified.

But she needed to defeat Wiltshire pair Ben Newman (Ogbourne Downs) and Mark Searle (High Post) in a play-off to take the £570 cheque at Sherborne. She won in style with an approach to six-feet to make a winning birdie at the first extra hole, the 311-yard 14th.

Her first reaction was to text Wessex professionals Jon Bevan and Michael Watson, who have mentored her progress since she returned from Florida, where she played golf and earned a PE degree.

Grimshaw said: “They were just as ecstatic as me. We are all playing well and we are all really supportive of each other.”

She carded four-over-par 76 in the opening round and was three shots off the pace set by Michael Hunt (Celtic Manor), yet always felt in contention. She set the benchmark with the day’s best round in the afternoon.

Her two-under 70 started with three successive birdies from the second.

On a showery day with thunder threatening she made another birdie at the eighth but dropped shots at the two longest par fours.

“I couldn’t reach so played them as par fives,” she said. “I knew it would be close although I didn’t think I would win and just tried to keep going.”

In the following match Newman made his only birdie of the second round at the 18th to join Grimshaw on two-over 146.

Then, in the next match, Searle birdied the last two holes for a second 73 to share the lead as well.

They each won £405 after a wait of 90 minutes until the rest of the field finished.

St Mellion’s Jack Stevenson was also in contention after an opening 72, as was Thurlestone’s Anthony Buchanan who faded badly in the afternoon. Stevenson could have won with a birdie at the last but he four-putted from the fringe for a double bogey in the second round to tie Daniel Clark (Playgolf Bournemouth) in fourth.

Grimshaw, who became the first English-based woman to qualify for the Powerade PGA Assistants’ Championship final, is now seeking a place in the Ricoh British Women’s Open at Hoylake in September and contests the qualifier at The Berkshire next month.